The first and most tentative rise unto the din of shells as they begin zipping across the line and exploding en masse is more than enough to the shatter the greenest troops’ nerves in sight of their own imminent death, slamming their eyes shut to flashes of heart-pounding red as their skulls are concussed, hammered dumb with shock. Set in old trenches with their vision obscured by orchards, all fortitudes unprepared for the screaming desperation of their aggressors, the hysteria of their defensive posture buckling confirms the pressure point the enemy’d so expertly identified. By some manner of luck on their side (and ineptitude on the other) it’d be miracle enough that they’d held out as long as they had. Documenting three days of death in heroic defense of their country this seventh full-length album from Netherlands-borne black metal trio Sammath escapes the doldrums of World War II themed black metal with a personal connection to these events which is matched by an evocative, mournfully charged score to the well-documented realities of war. Rooted in real events but fantastical in its depiction of the wildfire of wartime chaos and disorder ‘Grebbeberg‘ sketches the machinery of war just as vividly as it does the decimation it leaves behind, giving the listener more than shellfire and mortar blasts worth considering within this particularly fine seventh full-length record. Here we find an artist quite well-set in their voice and skillful mannerisms after three decades yet still capably adapting to suit both cruel havoc and inspiring heroism for the sake of amplifying their own narrative value and reinforcing a somewhat singular, ever-evolving craft.

Sammath formed in late 1993 by way of vocalist/guitarist and main songwriter Jan Kruitwagen taking inspiration from the extreme metal of Australia (where he’d been living) at the time and bringing the furor of groups like Sadistik Exekution and Bestial Warlust to the Netherlands while also being a fan of thrash and extreme metal that’d emerged prior to the black metal of the moment. After an inspired demo release they would sign to well-respected German label Folter Records and the result was ‘Strijd‘ (1999). Though I’ve covered these details before I bring their bio up to this point because that first record is still something special in my mind, a record that combined what I loved about more militant Swedish bands (such as Niden Div 187, War) and Norwegian (such as Immortal, Zyklon-B) of that era but gave it a different melodic touch entirely, something that fit well enough next to the stoic, tuneful Greek underground black metal style that originally got me into black metal. Of course I’ve many more notes for their extensive discography and its development between the incredibly raw battlements of ‘Dodengang‘ (2006) and their thus far peak intensity with the unrepentant volley-fire of ‘Godless Arrogance‘ (2014) the latter of which is most relevant to their sound today but most of what I could say about Sammath‘s discography was well-enough covered in my review of ‘Across the Rhine is Only Death‘ (2019). The main point to make here in retrospect is that there is an inspired stroke of mid-to-late 90’s black metal extremism and a more cumulative early days brutality set within all of the band’s work and this is reinforced by a drive to improve, evolve and produce even more destructive work with each iteration over the last three decades.

‘Grebbeberg‘ finds Sammath honing in on a wartime narrative relevant to their family history while easing into more coherent dynamism, generating the shellshocked terror of death in the trenches they’ve been leaning into these last two albums with a still-thrashing, grinding and war-metallic scrambling per an early 90’s black metal feeling. This album notably gives itself a slight shove back into the realm of pointed melodicism, assumedly for the sake of adding some contextual dramatism and brutality to the events illustrated. Kruitwagen‘s work has always put forth direct signaling within his lyrical themes and on the last few records he’s generally centered lyrics around the horrors of trench, tank and airborne brutality during first two World wars. In the case of this seventh album the whole of their focus is historical and personal at once, connecting us with the Battle of the Netherlands, a campaign of invasion per Nazi Germany from March 10-17th, 1940 wherein a weeklong effort lead to brutal destruction in Rotterdam, a decisive ceasefire and a five year long occupation. The album’s narrative and the layout of its booklet refer to Kruitwagen‘s great-uncle who perished in the Battle of the Grebbeberg, a very messy and desperate fight on the side of the Germans whose “elite yet inexperienced” forces ultimately resorted to war crimes, specifically using prisoners of war as human shields, to (arguably unnecessarily) force their hand. Learning the history available to these events is essential to understanding not only why this matters to the author but how it prompted the tonality and range of events available to the full listen.

When looking at the details of this specific three day offensive and its density of mayhemic events it seems the weak point of the Grebbeline was well-picked, both sides weren’t well prepared or were generally green in terms of tactics and all it took were a few key mistakes, a few unconscionably brutal acts, and a bit of confusion to send the Dutch forces spiraling into an ‘every man for himself’ state of mind. They were not ready for war per a nationwide disarmament and de-escalation campaign post-World War I and it wasn’t the young soldier’s fault, anyone who stood up and attempted defense with what the Dutch were given could only be considered heroic for staring into the black eye sockets of doom and holding fast for those ~72 hours. — This information and a sense of this setting, which is very well documented, lends incredible weight to ‘Grebbeberg‘ and again justifies the heroic yet chaotically surging feeling of the album as it depicts pants-shitting adrenaline, traumatic chaos, and terror in the face of entirely cruel interlopers. Sammath have hit upon an epic feeling in the past, certainly on ‘Strijd‘, but this is applied with the muscles tuned towards the savage brutality and machine-gunfire of their past two albums this time around. This makes for an anxietous, abrupt and deadly thrill for anyone interested in the theatre of war in an era where acts of desperation and cunning cruelty were slowly crushing the naivete of civility from all European soil.

Truth, realism in the age of lies. — In terms of sound Sammath have never been a band to hide in the mist or duck behind cover though there are some mechanical drum features which gave a certain feeling to their earlier recordings, prompting a bit of a ‘Panzer Division Marduk‘ clobber to their early 2000’s notoriety. Here we find the notable grit and full-bodied hammer of drummer Wim van der Valk (Inquisitor, ex-Centurian) behind the kit for a second time with the band and again minus any stupid studio tricks with full uninterrupted takes which showcase a long developed mastery of the throne, a trait which’d likewise had me enamored at the textural pummeling of ‘Across the Rhine is Only Death‘. The tempo map of this album is of course more varietal than before as we get majestic, chaotic, austere and devastated reads from any given song as we find Kruitwagen‘s guitar work adapting to the tone of each piece. The melodic black metal fan (or, folks starving for something deeper than Minenwerfer‘s last hail of fire) might even find some bits to love on “Reichswald” and “Crushed, Shattered and Destroyed” as these folks manage much more than the typical grinding and thrashing to a pulp; Otherwise I’d found it important to point out that ‘Grebbeberg‘ intends to impress without studio fuckery glossing over their work in the sense that they’ve made a point to minimize overdubs, avoiding reamping, and recording parts in full sequence rather than chopped into segments and sewn into frame. This provides an appreciably clarity of form which does not need to be obscurant or take a punch to the balls with unnecessary reverb etc. for atmospheric effect, you’ll find plenty enough atmosphere and presence in the havoc of the albums events that speaks to the true sound of the band to great effect.

What I’d often refer to as bestial, war metallic, or even grindcore inspired virility in terms of what characteristic makes Sammath stand out to my ear only just points to the scent of 80’s extreme metal lending a simple efficacy to their riffcraft. Cut right into opener/title track “Grebbeberg” and the snarling, diagonally ripped-at riffs and vomitous vocals take us to that similarly explosive feeling one would expect from the group, chaotic in its percussive turn-on-a-dime black metal scrimmage. The biggest swerve on that piece hits around ~1:45 minutes in where the momentum of the song grinds its oily gears and ultimately punches up the pace unto the finale, a very simple movement which understands the delivery needn’t call for complexity beyond the main riff as it is whipped at throughout. These types of grinding riff changes still lend Sammath their fixation, the obsessive militaristic aggression available to the music which couches itself nicely next to more melody driven movements such as that of the aforementioned “Reichswald“, the first piece which signals this album will be decidedly different than its predecessor as a border crossing strike which brings some different tone to the work sans any change to the fundamental attack of the band. “Murderous Artillery” compounds that guitar work while also setting the scene with shellfire, explosions and a general delivery in extension of the moment. This type of fluid rhythm guitar work and forlorn lead driven moodiness compliments the surreal scene of encroaching forces, arrival at war and the strange formality of engagement that’d fallen off beyond the second world war. Side A leaves us at a point of devastation rather than triumphal spirits with the main riff of “Last Gasp of the Dying” carrying a note of fatal doom in its introduction and conclusion.

“Crushed, Shattered and Destroyed” is probably my favorite piece of the lot here for its slick wheeling between the malaise of its tremolo-picked main rhythmic arc and the punctuation given in between its broader strokes, all of which ring with dread and malevolence. This is also one of the more prominently blasted-at pieces on the record which is something I always look for in Sammath‘s work, pure violence which makes sense for each song it is applied to. Even if I am not always a fan of actual warfare noise in black metal music, since it just feels like a bad mid-2000’s era WWII first person shooter, in this case the refrain in the middle of the song makes sense as an addition to the action of the piece as the shellfire and artillery sounds continue in the background beyond the break. From there we get two of the more aggressive pieces on the album in terms of pace and scratched-at rhythms (“Tot de laatste granaat“) which pull us into the final battle, the weight of loss, and the celebration of war which comes with the signature tragedian yet feral stroke of the band on closer “Stahl und Feuer”, a reinforcement given to the voice of the album which ends it on a high note without losing the low, mournful mood which develops across the events of the album. The overall flow of the full listen is unhindered, quick to jolt forth with fresh ideas and yet consistently hammers away at a pretty simple set of conditions in terms of riff count and general rhythmic interest as it careens between majestic, ominous, and harried violence.

Though I like the linocut style print look of the album art it didn’t initially set the scene as effectively as the cover art from the previous two, perhaps despite being arguably more artistic in its depiction. Otherwise the contrast of the piece paired with the stylized treatment of the title makes the initial visual appeal of ‘Grebbeberg‘ effective for its use of perspective, darker aesthetic and hand drawn illustrative style; Performances herein all have a human touch, a real sense of space with the drums pushed back in the room and the roar of the guitars up front along with the vocals where the collective effect drowns out the basslines for the most part unless you’re keen to really crank it and listen close. Without any voice samples or typical additions gumming up the main voice of the music the late 30’s/early 40’s warfare noise inserted here is used with a careful hand which gives a sense of appropriate narrative headspace to the story behind ‘Grebbeberg‘ without distracting from the mayhemic attack of the band throughout. Again, simple yet effective is probably the key statement to make without undermining the tightly written rhythmic arcs which characterize the major voice of this latest Sammath record. As is the case with most all of their prior discography the core of the experience is yet the wrath and riff which sustains as the legacy of the band though there is some fealty earned with the historicity and consideration of tone available to ‘Grebbeberg‘ which’d had me coming back for many repeat listens beyond discovery. A high recommendation.

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